1. Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates to animal management, and more particularly to a vestibule or staging area for transitioning animals from outdoors to indoors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many families want their household pets to live indoors with the family. This provides the animal with socialization opportunities, warmth, security, and clean food and water. However, many household pets still have a need to go outdoors, such as for play or elimination. The family can either let the animal out and back in on demand, or install devices that allow the animal to come and go as it pleases.
Letting the animal out and in on demand has advantages, such as controlling when the animal comes back in, and thus providing an opportunity for reducing mud and other materials from being tracked in from outdoors by cleaning the animal when it comes in. However, the family cannot let the animal out and in when not at home, and the animal may need to go outside, such as for elimination, when nobody is available to let it out. Some families solve this through crate training, but not all animals tolerate crate training and not all families are willing to crate their pets.
An alternative commonly used is a “pet door” or “doggy door.” which is typically a hole cut in an exterior door with a heavy flap covering it. The hole is large enough for the animal to pass through by nosing the flap aside and hoping through, but usually too small for a human intruder. Pet doors allow the animal to come and go as it pleases, but also have disadvantages, such as not being able to clean off the animal before it comes in. This is often addressed by having the doggy door lead to a portion of the home's interior that is isolated from the rest of the home, where the animal can run free but contain the mess. Examples include kennels built into garages and mud rooms.
However, another flaw with pet doors is that, during inclement weather, wind and rain can blow through the door. Since pet doors often lead to isolated areas of the home, this can cause water build up, and may chill the animal or damage the interior of the home. What is needed is an apparatus that preserves the come-and-go flexibility of a doggy door but provides a buffer between the interior and exterior environment.